


Moze's Modern Life

by Pun_Stereo



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Humor, Minor Spoilers, Minor Violence, Minor elements of Moze/Amara in first chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-12-28 14:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pun_Stereo/pseuds/Pun_Stereo
Summary: Moze knew that life as a vault huner would be way better than anything Vladof put her through. She got to meet a confident siren brawler, a semi-retired operative with a drinking habit, and a sentient AI with a thirst for the hunt. Sure it was dangerous, but Moze wouldn't have it any other way.A three-part fic where each chapter focuses on Moze's interactions with one of her fellow vault hunters. First up is Amara, followed by Zane and then FL4k. Each chapter will hopefully be around 4k words.





	1. Fighting with Amara

When Moze left the Vladof Military, peace and quiet were a luxury she never expected to enjoy again, at least for a while. Even when she managed to escape the iron grasp of Vladof, she still had to worry about bloodthirsty creatures and murderous bandits going after her. It seemed that her experience as a soldier was finally being put to good use keeping her alive. Being a light sleeper and always having a habit of being vigilant had its perks after all. However, if Moze had to pin her survivability to one thing, it would be her Iron Bear class mech. 

The gunner couldn’t even begin to count the many instances where her mech shielded her from attacks that would have been life-threatening. With all the damage her Iron Bear had endured, the least she could do was keep it in tip-top shape. Of course, mech repairs weren’t cheap and the only source of income Moze had, in the beginning, was whatever she could salvage from corpses or abandoned machinery. Not to mention that eating the creatures she killed was beginning to take a toll on her stomach. Eating a half-burnt skag was something one should experience only once. All of these circumstances are what led her to become a Vault Hunter and what led to her current predicament. 

“For the last time Claptrap, I’m not going to give you spare parts from my own collection,” Moze said with a bit of irritation in her voice. From her left, she could practically hear the response she was going to get. 

“Come on! I need more parts to complete my Claptrap friend,” said the robot in his usual high-pitched and eccentric voice. Fortunately for Moze, the welding mask she was wearing managed to muffle the voice so it wasn’t entirely jarring. However, the welding she was previously doing was already complete but the idea of hearing the robot speak directly in her ear wasn’t appealing. With a heavy sigh, she lifted the mask and faced Claptrap with a defeated look on her face. 

“Look, I don’t mind scavenging parts from other dead Claptraps but this is my own personal collection that I need for my Iron Bear.” Moze made sure to say the last bit with a bit of coldness in her voice. She stood up from her kneeling position and did one final inspection of the Iron Bear minigun in front of her. 

“Hmm … tell you what. You give me the part that I want and when I become super popular, I’ll tell all my loyal followers of the time you helped your best-buddy claptrap in his time of need and how much of a good person you are,” Claptrap said with confidence that suggested his offer was completely foolproof. However, the only thing he got was a deadpanned look from the gunner. 

“Thanks, but no thanks. I am perfectly fine with my current popularity,” Moze said trying to make it clear that her decision was final. She walked to the table in her room and place the welding mask on the place it usually was. 

“Alright fine. I guess I’ll ask Zane for the part instead. Don’t come crying to me when he becomes immensely popular and you don’t.” And with that, the yellow robot rolled out of her room and towards the room of her fellow vault hunter. As Moze watched Claptrap leave her sight, she let out another sigh, finally glad the robot left her in peace. 

“I’ll make sure not to.” Now that Iron Bear's repairs were done for the day, the gunner decided the next thing to do was to enjoy a short nap on her bed. As she slowly sauntered towards the bed at the far side of her room, Moze stretched her tired limbs and let out a small yawn. She looked at the watch on her left wrist and saw that it was 6:30 PM. It might have seemed early to get some rest but when you are on a ship with no indication of day or night, it was best to rest up whenever there was a chance. 

Deciding she didn’t want to go through the effort of taking off her boots, Moze chose to sleep in her current attire. If anything happened that needed her immediate attention, it was best if she was prepared from the get-go. While others might of thought it was uncomfortable to sleep with boots and a helmet on, Moze found it to be enjoyable. She was able to tilt her helmet in a way that blocked any bright light from hitting her eyes. Not to mention that she was practically conditioned to sleep in full uniform thanks to her time in the Vladof military. It was one of the few useful things that came from it. 

_If I’m not mistaken, the others are planning on looking for the Family Jewel tomorrow,_ Moze thought as she laid down on her bed. She placed her hands behind her head and rested one of her legs on her knee. It was only a few hours ago that Wainwright Jakobs informed them of the first piece of the Eden-6 vault key. It was apparently in the crashed wreckage of a huge ship. Moze would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited to go. A ship of that size and magnitude definitely had to have something she can use to upgrade Iron Bear. The gunner has been working on a prototype weapon that would allow her mech to deal devastating punches with huge mechanical fists. It was still in the development stage but the finished product excited her more and more. 

_I’m sure Amara would like to see it. She always seems impressed with the modifications I add to Iron Bear._ With that final thought, Moze slowly slipped into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of her Iron Bear and the many ways she could improve it. The gunner didn’t know how long she was asleep, but the first thing she heard as she regained consciousness was the sound of someone calling her name. 

“Moze. Moze! Moserah!” The loud yelling coming from her left managed to startle her awake and put the gunner in a combat stance. 

“Huh?! What!?” However, she was off in her footing and ended up slipping off her bed and onto the floor with a loud thud. Luckily, her helmet took most of the force and managed to ease the pain from hitting the floor face first. She slowly stood up from her position and tried rubbing the sleep from her eyes. When her vision became clear, the image of Amara trying to contain her laughter was the only thing in her sight. Eventually, her stifled laugh developed into a full-blown outburst of hearty laughter. Moze attempted to hide her embarrassment by titling her helmet down as far as possible. 

“I thought I told you not to call me by my actual name,” Moze said in an attempt to conceal her embarrassment. Eventually, she mustered the courage to look at the Siren standing in front of her. 

“You did, and I decided to ignore it,” Amara said with clear mirth in her voice. It had only been a few days since Amara managed to convince the Gunner whether Moze was her actual name or not. Moze was extremely adamant about not letting others know her actual name but the siren was annoyingly persistence. Finally, after a week of nagging and the lure of rare weapon that Amara was willing to part with, Moze caved in and told the siren what her name was short for. She also explicitly told Amara to not let others know of her name and to never use it. However, the gunner knew it was useless to have the siren change her mind once she decided on something so she chose to change the subject. 

“So did you come into my room to make a fool of me or do you need something?” she said as she turned around to place the sheets that have fallen off back on her bed. Moze didn’t intend for her statement to sound as mean as it did but the words already left her mouth before could rethink them.

“Aww come on, don’t say that. We’re all friends here, right?” Before Moze could say anything, Amara wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her close. Soon after, an echo device was shoved in her face showing the map of Floodmoor Basin and a purple waypoint placed in the middle of what looked to be a COV camp. 

“I was contacted by a local saying they needed help with a certain COV camp that was causing way too much trouble lately. They were willing to pay a hefty amount of cash to have it cleared out as soon as possible,” Amara said as she explained the details of the job. Moze attempted to pay attention to the siren’s words but some things were distracting her. Most notably the arm that was practically locking her in a headlock and the warmth that came with it. This wasn’t the first time Amara ignored her personal space and went all buddy-buddy. The siren was known for her close-up and personal way of approaching things, both in combat and in daily occurrences. 

“I was hoping you could come with me. I would appreciate someone watching my back as I try out some new moves I’ve been working on,” she said as she released Moze from her hold. The gunner took a second to compose herself before answering the other vault hunter. 

“Y-yeah ok. Will Zane and FL4K come with us as well?” As she said this, the gunner made sure she had enough ammunition for her guns and even went to triple check the minigun in her room. 

“Nah, we don’t need those two. Think of it like a girl's night out except it'll be just me and you." And with that, Amara walked out of the room and made her way towards the fast travel station. It seemed that she was determined to start the mission as soon as possible. As Moze scurried around her room preparing for what was to come, she overheard one final thing being said. 

“I’ll go on ahead. Don’t keep me waiting for too long Moserah.” Moze could practically hear the smirk that said those words. Soon after, a burst of laughter could be heard before it was suddenly replaced by the sound of the fast travel machine. The gunner could do nothing but stand idly in her room as she rested her face in her hands, defeat written all over her face. 

“I knew it was a bad idea to tell her my actual name. Now I’ll never hear the end of it.” Before long, Moze turned off the lights in her room and made her way to Floodmoor Basin. 

* * *

It wasn’t long before Moze managed to find Amara crouching behind some foliage that gave a good aerial look of the camp they were targeting. Her siren tattoos gave off a blue glow that made her stand out against the darkness that was Eden-6 during the night. How she managed to hide in the first place and not be seen was beyond Moze. Making sure to stay low, the gunner made her way next to Amara and looked at the COV camp below. 

“Soooo … what do you think is the best way to attack this place? You are our resident soldier after all,” Amara said as she cast a glance towards Moze. It was true that among the four vault hunters, Moze was the most experienced in tactics and formation. The only other with similar experience was Zane but he was only knowledgeable in solo operations. Moze took a minute to analyze the overall layout of the camp along with any notable factors such as lookout towers, badass enemies, and places for cover. After running through several possible scenarios in her head, Moze came up with a plan. 

“Alright, I’ll run-in with Iron Bear and make my way to the farthest north end of the camp. On my way, I’ll try to cause as much of havoc as I can so the enemy will be left confused and distracted. One the fuel runs out, I’ll take cover and start taking out COV from mid-range with my Vladof assault rifle. Then you come in and start attacking from behind. We’ll be able to hit those culty bastards from both sides and catch them by surprise, it’ll be hilarious.” Moze looked back at Amara to make sure she understood her plan. The siren gave her a head nod with a look that said she was down with her plan. To Moze, that was all she needed. The gunner stood up and was about to make her way towards the camp before she was stopped in her tracks by a hand that suddenly latched onto her wrist. She looked back, surprised at the unexpected interruption, and saw Amara stare at her with a worried look on her face. 

“Wait just … promise me you’ll be careful. These COV may not be strong, but their overwhelming numbers can corner you real quick,” she said with an unwavering gaze. For a moment, Moze was confused by her words. Usually, Amara would be the first to dive headfirst into a horde of enemies, eager to get into any fight that showed even the slightest bit of a challenge. Moze didn’t know if the siren was underestimating her combat prowess or just looking out for her. For the sake of time, and her own peace of mind, she settled on the latter. 

“Alright, I promise.” And with that, Moze slid down the slope and made her way towards the COV camp. It didn’t take long for the COV stationed on the perimeter to spot her and immediately begin firing round after round. Once Moze heard the first shot being fired at her, she brought forth Iron Bear and shot off two quick blasts at the makeshift barricade blocking the front entrance. It didn’t take much for the barricade to crumple and for an Iron Bear sized hole to be created. 

“Knock knock dickwads! I’m coming in!” Moze yelled from inside of her mech. Using a grenade launcher on the left and a flamethrower on the right, Moze made her way to the far end of the camp. Her main goal wasn’t to kill COV but to cause as much destruction and to direct all their attention towards her. It would make the surprise attack from Amara much more effective and successful. Thanks to Iron Bear’s thick armor, the gunner was shielding from all the attacks coming from every possible angle. Within the first few seconds, Moze had already shot off a dozen grenades and sprayed everything in sight with burning hot flames. The sound of COV screaming, building crumbling from explosions, and fire burning away at everything it touched mixed into a messy concoction of noise. It didn’t take long for the COV camp to be plunged into chaos. After a while, Moze looked at the fuel indicator and noticed that there were only a few seconds left for her mech. 

Before the gunner left her mech, she fired off one final grenade at a group of fanatics that were unlucky enough to be bunched up together. During her time in the Vladof military, there wasn’t a single moment where she and her fellow soldiers weren’t being yelled at about spacing. It was drilled into their heads to always keep a correct amount of space away from other soldiers to prevent one well-placed grenade from knocking out a whole squad. 

“Now for the challenging part.” As soon as Moze exited Iron Bear, she sprinted towards the nearest cover which happened to be an overturned technical. When Moze was comfortable with her spot, she chucked a grenade into the air to signal Amara to start attacking from behind. Before it even exploded, Moze already peaked from behind cover and began taking out fanatics that had the misfortune of being in her line of sight. She made sure to target psychos first and foremost since they were always annoying to deal with in close range. Next, she targeted the tougher enemies like the badass fanatics. If left unchecked, those launcher wielding COV can sneak up on Moze and cause some serious damage. She also made sure to keep an eye on her shield. If she took enough damage, the gunner would stay behind cover until it fully recharged. 

_From what I’ve seen, there shouldn’t be much trouble in taking out this camp. I don’t see any of those anointed bastards so we should be good. If we’re lucky then we probably won’t see any_ \- Before Moze could finish her thought, a strong looking enough carrying a door as a shield began making its way towards her. 

“Goddammit! I hate those shield carrying enforcers with a passion,” Moze yelled from behind cover. Not only did they have more health than the fanatics, but their huge shields made hitting them almost impossible. The only way to effectively take them out was to get close and knock them off balance with a melee attack before unloading a whole clip onto them. However, leaving her current cover would jeopardize the plan Moze had laid out so she would have to bear with trying to hit their exposed limbs instead. After some failed attempts at shooting the enforcer in front of her, Moze was beginning to lose her patience. She was tempted to charge straight at him but before she made up her mind, the enforcer was phasegrasped and lifted off the ground. Moze was finally able to take a clear shot. 

“Can’t hide behind your shield now huh!?” With an accurately placed shot to the head, the enforcer fell to the ground with a loud thud. Soon after, she saw Amara near the body looking for her next target. Eventually, the siren’s gaze landed on Moze and she waved towards the gunner. 

“Took you long enough! I was starting to think I had to deal with all these fanatics on my own!” Moze yelled from her position. Both of them knew she was saying it in good fun so her comment didn’t carry the weight that it would normally have. 

“And let you have all the fun? No way,” Amara retorted before she returned to fighting all the COV nearby. With Amara and Moze fully engaged in fighting the COV, the two vault hunters didn’t take long until there was only a handful of fanatics remaining. However, all the damage that the technical received during the last few minutes managed to reach its gas container. Moze was too focused on taking out the remaining COV that she didn’t see the flame coming from the engine until Amara pointed it out. 

“Moze! Get away from the technical, it’s going to explode!” As soon as she heard those words, the gunner leaped from her spot into a roll to escape the explosion that was soon to come. Not a moment too soon, the vehicle erupted into flames and exploded with a loud boom. The bright light and loudness of the explosion were enough to temporarily disorient her. Moze was far away to avoid most of the damage but her shield still took enough of a hit to shatter it. However, as Moze scrambled to find some new cover, a single shot from a fanatic managed to catch her off guard and hit her in the leg. 

“Ahhh! Son of a -” The gunner winced as she hid behind some rubble. Moze clutched her left calf where the bullet went through and inspected her wound. She was fortunate enough to not get hit in a fatal area but being shot in the leg meant her movement would be hindered greatly. Making sure to act quick, Moze ripped off a piece of cloth from her pants and hastily tied it around, but not without wincing from the pain that came from it. It wouldn’t do much in terms of healing it, but it would at least stop the bleeding for the time being. 

“Ugh. I let my guard down because things were going too well. I need to be more aware of my surroundings,” Moze said through gritted teeth. The gunner cautiously peeked from behind the rubble and saw that the last of the COV were dealt with. What caught her eye, however, was that the fanatic that shot her in the leg was in a much worse state than the others. All that remained was a messy red pile of flesh and viscera. Moze didn’t have to guess that it was the work of Amara and her crazy siren powers. Her fellow vault hunter did have a habit of getting carried away at times. 

“Ah, speak of the devil. There she is.” From the corner of her eye, Moze spotted Amara jogging towards her position. When the siren got close enough, a look of worry was clearly written on her face. 

“Are you ok? You’re not badly hurt are you?” she asked while inspecting the gunner from head to toe. Moze quickly got on her feet, not liking the way Amara was fretting over her. 

“I’m fine. Actually, I’m kinda hurt that you would think something as little as a leg wound would stop me. I am an ex-soldier after all,” Moze said proudly while trying to hide the fact that her wound was beginning to sting. She had to shift her weight to her uninjured leg and lean against a nearby wall for support. However, it was evident that Amara wasn’t buying Moze’s tough-guy act even for a second. 

“I think you should wait until I find you a health vial. Or at least let me support you as you walk.” The gunner decided to ignore the worried look on her face and began to slowly trudge out of the camp. Moze had a reputation to uphold and there was no way in the universe that she would let a leg would slow her down. 

“Look, it's fine. Let’s get out of here and find the guy who contacted you. I want to get to Sanctuary as fast as possible so I can mend this damn-” Before Moze could finish her statement, she felt herself being lifted off the ground by some very strong arms. It took a second for Moze to realize that Amara was now carrying her in her arms as if she weighed nothing. 

“You can be very stubborn you know that?” Amara said while walking towards the exit of the camp. 

“Hey! Put me down! I said I was fine didn’t I?” Moze made her best attempt to escape the siren’s grasp but she couldn't shake off the iron grasp that was holding her. Being in such a position made Moze feel like some helpless damsel. She could already feel a wave of embarrassment wash over her. 

“Maybe so. But it would be a lot faster if I carried you.” Moze continued her attempt to find some way out but to no avail. It seemed that her own strength was being overpowered by that of Amara’s. The gunner could already hear the mocking remarks from the locals on Eden-6. Moze was incredibly relieved that Zane wasn’t with them so she wouldn’t have to suffer through the operative’s neverending teasing. 

“If you continue struggling like that, I’ll tell everybody about what Moze actually stands for,” Amara said with an evil glint in her eye. Those words managed to stop Moze as if she was frozen solid. She looked up at the siren but saw that she was looking straight ahead. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Moze said in a futile attempt to stay calm. People finding out about her real name would be way worse than the position she was currently in. 

“Want to wait and find out?” Amara said with clear amusement in her voice. Moze could do nothing but slump lifelessly in defeat. Her aching leg wound was starting to drain her energy and the idea of struggling any more wasn’t as appealing as it once was. 

“At least let go of me when we get to Sanctuary,” Moze whispered from behind her helmet. If one looked close enough, they could see a faint blush on the gunner’s cheeks. 

“Sure thing, Moserah.” And with that, the two vault hunters made their way across Floodmoor Basin towards the local who contacted Amara. They were paid the amount that was promised and left towards the nearest fast-travel station, though not without receiving an odd look from the person. Eventually, they arrived at Sanctuary and Moze was dropped off in her room. As the gunner saw Amara walk off, she began tending to her injury with a medpac she had lying around. The only thing on her mind as she mended her leg was the warmth that emanated off the siren and how comfortable it was in her embrace. 

  
  



	2. Infiltrating with Zane

"-But I'd stolen the guy's ship, so I figured we were even. Anywho, I went to pay ol' Azlan a visit." The sound of Typhon Deleon’s voice was cut off as the echo log ended. Moze, who was sitting next to the machine responsible for the recording, let out a small laugh as she thought over the words of the famous first vault hunter. At first, Moze thought that such a recognizable title would mean that the person behind it would be equally as memorable. When the gunner first heard of Typhon Deleon, she imagined him to be someone with the air of a gentleman around them yet who still carried the spirit of a great explorer. Her mental image was further supported by the many posters scattered throughout the universe that depicted the legendary vault hunter in his full glory. 

However, after hearing the first recording left behind by Typhon Deleon back on Pandora, Moze realized that her prediction was way off its mark. From what she’s heard from the many Typhon logs, the first vault hunter was just a goofy man with a very eccentric outlook on life. If Moze was being honest, though, she preferred the real-life version of Typhon Deleon rather than the one she first thought of. After a long day of fighting COV and trudging through the jungles of Eden-6, being able to hear the whimsical voice of Typhon was like a breath of fresh air. There were even times where Moze laughed at the hilarious hijinks that Typhon managed to get himself into. Of course, Moze wasn’t the only one who found amusement in the Typhon logs. Her fellow vault hunters also enjoyed the recording to their own degree. Though, FL4K was more interested in the dead drop that came afterward. 

“And to think I almost missed this one,” Moze said as she stood up from her seated position. Soon after, the recorded voice of Tannis came from her echo device, notifying her of the dead drop in the area. She took a moment to stretch her arms and to make sure all her equipment was in check. She picked up the Vladof assault rifle that laid on the ground next to her and secured it on her back. Moze had come to the Anvil after remembering of the Typhon log she found when she was first here. She was too busy being shot at by fanatics and fighting alongside the other vault hunters the first time they came here that she didn’t have time to properly listen to the recording. However, after meeting up with the “B-Team”, things began to calm down enough to allow Moze to do some exploring. She was able to find and listen to the last two echo logs but she couldn’t backtrack until after they rescued Sir Hammerlock. Despite her best efforts, the location of the remaining Typhon log didn’t come back to her until after her little mission with Amara. 

“I’m glad Amara is someone who keeps her word. Otherwise, it would have been the first day of bootcamp all over again,” Moze said in a relieved tone. From her position, the gunner was able to see the huge concrete walls and buildings that made up the Anvil. The prison looked just as impenetrable from afar as it did up close. It was a good thing that the prison was being run by a no-brain warden, otherwise, it would have been way more difficult to enter the place. For a second, Moze thought about going after the dead drop, but after seeing how far deep it was in the prison, she decided to leave it for another day. Besides, she wasn’t in too much of a hurry to replace her current guns. 

“Actually, now that I think about it, FL4K did mention they were looking to replace their current sniper rifle. Maybe I’ll tell them about the dead drop the next time we meet,” Moze said as she made her way towards the fast-travel station. The gunner walked at a leisurely pace since there was nothing major planned for the rest of the day. Earlier in the morning, Moze and the rest of the vault hunters searching for the Family Jewel in Voracious Canopy. It certainly was an interesting experience considering Moze felt like she was in the middle of a messy breakup the entire time. At the end of it, they managed to acquire the second piece of the Eden-6 vault and get an AI for Sanctuary. Despite BALEX’s straight forward and uncouth personality, he made for one hell of a navigator. 

“That reminds me, I need to do some repairs on Iron Bear. That GenIVIV AI did a number on his outer armor,” Moze thought out loud as she reached the fast-travel machine. Before she was able to activate it, the machine sprung to life with a low hum. From past experience, Moze was able to guess that someone was fast-traveling to her location. It wasn’t long before the familiar outline of Zane came into view. His boots appeared first followed by his torso, a silenced Dahl sniper rifle, and the facial hair he cared about so much. 

“You know, after so many times usin’ those machines, I still haven’t gotten used to the feelin’. It’s like floatin’ weightlessly in water with a minor current going through it,” Zane said as he finished spawning in. The operative looked himself over to make sure nothing was out of place. Once he was satisfied, he looked over to where Moze was standing. 

“So lass, I know why I’m here but what about you?” Zane asked as he went to go purchase ammunition from the ammo dump. 

“There was a Typhon log that we missed so I went to go check it out. The dead drop is unlocked, by the way, in case you were wondering,” Moze responded from beside him. Zane suddenly coming to the Anvil piqued Moze’s curiosity which, in turn, delayed her return to Sanctuary. Not to mention that Zane’s utility belt had more gadgets and equipment than usual. 

“Oh, did you now? That Deleon guy knows how to make even a prison visit seem interestin’. Was it as funny as the other ones?” From what Moze could gather, Zane was the one who enjoyed the recordings the most. There was even an instance where the operative ignored a rare gun in his path in order to listen to a Typhon drop nearby. 

“Well, it made the other ones make more sense if that’s what you mean.” Internally, the gunner questioned why her fellow vault hunter was here of all places. Everything that was needed to be done had already been accomplished. The COV radio towers were hacked, the target of opportunity was killed, and all three Typhon logs were found. The only thing left to do was to collect the dead drop, which Zane didn’t know about until after Moze told him. Before she could ponder any further, Zane spoke up. 

“I’m sure it did. Anyway, lass, I guess it’s about time I revealed why I’m here. You know that fella’ with the bird? The one we saw when we came to break Sir Hammerlock out of prison?” Zane waited for Moze to nod before continuing.

“Well, he contacted me recently and said that the warden wasn’t the only one in charge. He had a second in command who could easily replace him if the need arises. So, naturally, I offered to take out this high ranking COV, for a price of course,” the operative explained while taking out a pair of binoculars. He put them up to his eyes and began taking in every detail about the prison. While he did this, Moze set her eyes on the sniper on his back, realizing what he intended to use to take out his target.

“See, the thing is, this COV is a smart bastard. At the first sign of danger, he’ll go into hidin’ because he knows he won’t be able to stop me from killin’ him. This means I can’t go in guns blazin’ or else I’ll never find him. This brings me to my next point.” Zane put away his binoculars and faced Moze with his arms crossed, a hardened look on his face. Moze, startled at the completely foreign look, instinctively stood up straight with her arms at her side. The gunner had only seen that look on battle-hardened veterans from her time in Vladof. Since they outranked her, Moze had to greet them with respect by standing perfectly straight and saluting them. It seemed that old habits die hard. 

“Easy lass, you’re not in the military anymore. We’re all equal so there is no need to be all formal,” Zane said reassuringly, cleary sensing Moze’s sudden tenseness. Moze, finally realizing her current position, let her body relax. 

“Right, yes, you’re … right. Force of habit,” the gunner bashfully said while rubbing her right arm. Zane waved an arm in front of him, trying to show that it was no big deal. 

“No worries. I have my own habits that I’m tryin’ to get over. But, anyway, enough about that. What I wanted to ask was whether you were interested in goin’ along with me. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two from this old man.” The operative pointed at himself with a big grin on his face. The hardened look he had previously shown was replaced with his usual jolly demeanor. The awkwardness that hung in the air had dissipated which allowed Moze to consider his offer. It was true that Moze was interested in the infiltrating capabilities of Zane. They didn’t really train her in stealth during her time with Vladof. However, a part of her wondered if she would actually be of help or if she would only be a hindrance to the whole operation. Noticing her hesitance, Zane added something else to his aforementioned statement. 

“Of course, I could easily do this mission buy me self if I need to. It’s ok if you’re too scared to go deep behind enemy lines,” Zane exclaimed with an added emphasis on the “scared” part. It was clear to both of them that the operative was trying to provoke Moze into accepting, but the gunner decided to play along nonetheless. 

“Alright fine. Feel free to hide behind Iron Bear when you get caught.” Moze responded with her own provocation and waited for Zane to lead the way. 

“If I get caught durin’ something as easy as this, then my name isn’t Zane Flynt.” 

* * *

The path that Moze and the rest of the vault hunters took the first time around was not good for the current mission. There were too many spots where they could be spotted by nearby fanatics and watchtowers. Fortunately for them, Zane knew of a secret ventilation shaft that could lead them to the inner workings of the Anvil. The opening was hidden behind a bush that would have prevented someone from easily spotting it. Plus, it was far away enough from the main path so it wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. 

“We’ll be headin’ towards a small lookout that will give us a shot at the target. The birdman told me of it,” Zane said as they approached the opening. Some iron bars were blocking the entrance of the vent, clearing designed to stop any stray jabber or Saurian from getting in. Before Moze could voice her concerns, Zane reached into his utility belt and took out something that looked like a spray-paint canister. With the efficiency that suggested the action had been done hundreds of times, the operative sprayed the tops and bottoms of each bar with a vibrant blue liquid. Soon, the substance took on an acidic green color as it began eating away at the iron. It took only a few seconds for the bars to be corroded enough to fall off. Zane looked back at Moze with a cheeky smile. 

“Elemental corrosion in a can. Always helpful when corrosive guns are just too loud.” After removing the bars that blocked the opening, the two of them made their way inside and began crouch-walking through the vent. The rectangular walkway was being barely lit up by small red lights placed periodically on the ceiling. Moze was grateful that Zane knew where he was going since it was challenging enough with all the dead ends that branched off the path they were following. The only sounds that reached her ears were the sound of their boots hitting the metal at their feet and the clacking of their guns against their backs. Curious to see where exactly they were, Moze opened up her echo map. Straight away, the gunner saw that the two of them were out of bounds from what was normally considered to be the “walkable” area. As she put her echo device away, Moze whispered her concerns about the possibility of them getting lost or losing their way.

“It can be detrimental to a mission if you become too reliant on the echo map. It doesn’t show everythin’ and it isn’t entirely accurate. That’s why I have my own way of navigatin’ through this area,” Zane responded in complete confidence. It was no surprise that Zane was the most tech-savvy out of all the vault hunters. His ability to create a digital clone, deploy a barrier, and send out a flying drone further proved this. Compared to the highly advanced gadgets of Zane’s arsenal, Iron Bear was like a wind-up toy that anybody could have. Unlike Moze, who was given Iron Bear during her time with Vladof, Zane probably created and developed his own gear. As such, when Moze heard these words from the operative, she expected him to have some convoluted device that acted as a map. Instead, all she saw was Zane looking back at her with the same confident smile as before, a finger pointing to his head. 

“Pure instinct.” The gunner let out a sigh and continued following Zane as she tried her best to ignore the anticlimactic response she just received. After a while of crawling through winding vents, the operative eventually singled Moze to stop. The two of them were currently in a wider part of the vent that was supposedly the “lookout” that Zane mentioned earlier. It was big enough to allow Moze to stand up properly after being crouched for so long. She stretched her legs in an attempt to ease the numbness that was beginning to build in her thighs. She looked over at Zane who was looking through a metal grate that lined one side of the vent. From their position, they were able to peer down on what looked like an outdoor courtyard. 

“Sooooo … what are we looking for exactly?” As Moze said this, she realized that she had never asked Zane what their plan was to take out the fanatic that was second in command. The gunner walked over to the grate and took in the details of the scene before her. In the middle was a tall tree that had its own patch of grass. Surrounding it were four wooden benches along with several basketball courts and balls scattered throughout the area. The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by steep concrete walls. There wasn’t an opening on top since it was being covered by a thick glass ceiling to allow light through. The only possible entrance was a small metal door towards the left side of the courtyard.

“From what I’ve gathered, the high rankin’ COV occasionally comes here to do some meditatin’. Apparently, it manages to ease the insane thoughts in his head that plague the rest of the fanatics. It allows him to be more cautious and aware but clearly not enough to show how stupid it is to follow those Calypso shite-heads.” Zane took out his trusty binoculars again and began surveying the courtyard with high intensity. He observed every bit of detail that he could find, even including the cracks in the concrete. After several minutes of watching Zane do his thing, Moze took out a stick of gum and popped it in her mouth as she leaned on the grate. 

“So I’m guessing that we’ll wait for this guy to show himself and then we’ll take him out?” Moze chewed the gum for a bit before blowing a small bubble. Zane only nodded in response as he continued to observe the scene in front of him. The gunner had a feeling that the process of waiting for the fanatic to arrive would take a good chunk of time so she slumped down into a sitting position. Taking a look at her wristwatch, Moze made a mental note of the time to get an idea of how much time had passed since she first arrived at the Anvil. Then the gunner began thinking up ways to pass the time so she wouldn’t be bored out of her mind. 

At first, she thought about Iron Bear and the progress she had made towards upgrading the mech. However, it didn’t take long for the thought to reach a dead end. She already did most of her Iron Bear related thinking earlier that day so there wasn’t much left to keep her distracted. Instead, Moze let her mind drift from subject to subject in an attempt to keep herself occupied. She thought about the rooms of her fellow vault hunters, the few side missions she had yet to finish, the cowboy-sheriff looking guy they met in the small town of Reliance, anything to keep her mind occupied. Eventually, the gunner ran out of things to keep her busy so she looked at her watch. Moze was shocked that thirty minutes had already passed. 

“So, is the target here yet or have you been staring at an empty courtyard this entire time?” Moze said while disposing of her piece of gum that had lost its flavor. Instead of responding, the operative simply continued to stare through the metal grate with his binoculars. His lack of response managed to creep her out considering there was never an instance where Zane was so quiet. Ever since their first meeting back on Pandora, Zane always managed to tell some type of joke or speak his mind with the usual accent of his. The operative being all quiet and serious was practically unheard of. 

“Okay … umm, are you planning on using that Dahl sniper to kill the fanatic?” Moze already knew the answer to her own question but she wanted to start a conversation to make time go by faster. However, just like before, Zane stayed quiet, never letting his concentration falter. It seemed that talking to Zane to pass the time was out of the question. Out of options, Moze begrudgingly decided to stare at the metal wall in front of her and count the seconds that passed. After an hour that felt like forever, Moze was reaching her boiling point. The silence was beginning to get to her and if she didn’t do anything soon, she would go crazy.

“Ugh! This is taking forever! If I have to stare at this metal vent for another minute I swear I’ll go insane!” Moze practically yelled as she stood up. She expected for Zane to react to her screaming or do anything that didn’t involve him looking through his binoculars like he has been doing for the last hour and a half. She would have even welcomed a scolding from the operative about how her yelling was threatening their cover. Anything to break the deafening silence. Instead, all she got was a quick side glance from Zane. 

“Can’t we just barge in and go searching for this high ranking COV? If we take out every fanatic that we see, then eventually we’ll kill the correct one right?!” At this point, getting shot at by a horde of COV was much preferable than the torment Moze was going through. Never in her life had she experienced such an extended period of inactivity. During her time in the Vladof military, Moze had always gone through some form of action in her day-to-day routine. Even when she rested in secure headquarters, she would still hear the noise of rookies being put through training courses or weapons being test-fired. As such, Moze tended to get easily worked up if nothing was going on for an extended amount of time. However, before Moze could mull over military career any further, she saw Zane put down his binoculars and let out a long sigh. It seemed that she finally got through to him. 

“Listen, lass. I’ve stayed alive this long doin’ what I do by being patient. I make sure each operation goes off without a hitch and that success is practically guaranteed. Goin’ in guns blazing would create too much noise, too many risks of bein’ outnumbered and pinned. It’s not somethin’ you want when you’re me age,” Zane said with an air of seriousness and professionalism that sounded odd coming from the normally exuberant operative. It seemed that his words managed to ease the tense aura that hung around the gunner. And at that moment, Zane’s title as a semi-retired operative finally sunk in. The countless years of experience and near-death encounters were clearly shown in his hardened expression. It dawned on Moze that Zane was, by far, the deadliest out of all of them due to the many years and hits under his belt. 

“I’m sure at some point you wanted to ask why I act the way I do. Well, when you’ve pulled the trigger on so many people to the point where you lose count, it begins to mess you up in the head. Death no longer phases you and you slowly begin to lose what makes you human. I’ve seen so many others deal with the pressure of their actions and at some point, they either bend or break. In my case, I’ve made it a necessity these last few years to have a laugh every day to stop the dread from sinkin’ in.” As Zane’s words sunk in, Moze thanked whatever god there was out there that he was on their side. The thought of having to go up against someone like Zane sent a small shiver of fear down her spine. Luckily, Moze was brought out of her state by the sound of the operative’s usual tone of voice returning.

“Oh, hey! The guy is finally here and about time too. Mind if I’m the one to take the shot?” Moze could only nod in response as she slowly gathered her bearings. Not long after, the suppressed shot of Zane’s Dahl sniper silently echoed through the vent. Satisfied with his kill, the operative stood up and fastened the sniper to his back. 

“Well, that about does it. We should head back before these COV find the body and raise some alarm,” Zane casually said as if what he said only a few seconds ago didn’t happen. Moze didn’t know how to respond to the complete shift in tone but eventually, she felt a mild annoyance begin to wash over her. 

“Hold on, is that it? That’s all we had to do?” The gunner said as the conversation from before completely slipped her mind. 

“Yup. Like I said earlier, this was an easy mission. In and out really fast.” As he said this, Zane began making his way towards the vent that would lead them outside. As Moze saw his figure slowly descend downward, her annoyance turned into full own irritation. 

“Wait! Was there any reason to bring me along when all we did was stare at an empty courtyard for ninety minutes and shoot ONE guy!?” Moze made sure to let her fellow vault hunter know just how upset she was. 

“Sorta. The goal of bringing you along wasn’t to help me but for me to help you. I wanted to teach you a lesson in patience since I’ve noticed your lack of it in previous missions. You might as well be a second Amara with how quick you are to dive into action,” Zane responded with a satisfied smirk. While Moze didn’t mind being compared to Amara, the way Zane said it irked her for some reason. The gunner’s face fell into a hard to read expression as she silently stood there for a few seconds. 

“Zane. Do me a favor. Next time you receive a mission like this DON’T you dare invite me! If you do I’ll dropkick you across Eden-6!” Zane let out a hearty laugh in reply which echoed throughout the vent. With an annoyed huff, Moze began making her way towards the opening they first went through. When she made it outside, she made sure to be the first to fast-travel to Sanctuary, though not before punching Zane in the shoulder as she passed him. 

_ Great. Now I’m in a bad mood. Maybe I’ll go to Amara’s room and see if she can let me use her punching bag. I need the stress relief more than ever.  _

  
  



	3. Hunting with FL4K

If Moze was being honest with herself, she didn’t enjoy being back on Pandora. After experiencing the highly technical planet of Promethea, the beautiful scenery of Athenas, and the lush jungles of Eden-6, Pandora seemed like an empty desert that was devoid of all life. No wonder one of the planet’s many nicknames was “the dumpster of the universe.” Yet, the one thing that Pandora had that the other planets lacked was its never-ending source of danger. Every living being on the dry planet ranging from creatures to COV and even plants were capable of killing a human. However, they were never strong enough to take down Moze and her fellow vault hunters. 

“I’ve had a few close calls though,” the gunner said out loud as she walked through a recently cleared den of spiderants. The true danger comes from the sheer amount of creatures that inhabited the planet. The first time around, Moze was only able to encounter packs of skags, swarms of rakks, and colonies of varkids. Now that Moze was in the new area known as Devil’s Razor, a different type of enemy showed its ugly face. While the average spiderant was nothing to be worried about, its many variants had their own share of challenges. The spiderant knight had tough armor and the spiderant queen was capable of spawning small spiderlings that were little nuisances. Not to mention, the plate of exoskeleton that every spiderant had on its head annoyingly blocked its vulnerable abdomen.

“It makes killing them a real pain in the ass,” Moze said as she walked towards a loot chest. It wasn’t one of those rare red loot chests but it would at least give her one good gun. The gunner opened it and held her breath as the guns were brought out. Disappointedly though, the majority of loot inside the chest was white weapons and shields. The only redeemable piece of loot was a blue rarity Jakobs pistol with a scope. Ignoring the other useless loot, Moze picked up the pistol and examined it with a well-trained eye. 

“Hmmm … a six bullet cylinder … fast hammer … comfortable grip … and it packs quite a punch too. Yup, a keeper.” Moze holstered the gun near her hip and observed her surroundings. Like any other major location on Pandora, Devil’s Razor was huge and offered a lot to an eager vault hunter like her. However, the gunner didn’t come here to do some exploration. Instead, she was looking for FL4K and their pet skag Mr. Chew. While on Sanctuary, Moze was offered a hefty sum of money by some male civilian asking if she could deliver a purple rarity Hyperion shotgun to the beastmaster. When asked about the details, he mentioned that FL4K had done a job for him but the weapon he promised as a reward wasn’t ready yet. As a result, the beastmaster asked for it to be delivered when it was. Out of suspicion, Moze asked the person why he couldn’t deliver it in person, but all she got as a response was a scared yelp followed by a quick explanation of how scary FL4K was. 

Not wanting to pass up some quick cash, Moze agreed and made her way to Devil’s Razor. Her echo told her that the beastmaster was currently in the area. After fast-traveling to the location and using the nearest catch-a-ride to spawn a vehicle, Moze began to make her way to FL4K. Along the way, the gunner encountered a group of spiderants that stubbornly stood in her way. She knew that they wouldn’t leave her alone until she was dead so the gunner decided to eliminate them once and for all. After a drawn-out fight, Moze was victorious and was even rewarded with a loot chest, which is what led her to where she currently was. 

“Know, if I was a murderous AI where would I be?” Moze asked herself as she looked around the area. She wanted to locate FL4K before it got too late and the sun was already beginning to set. The only feature that caught her attention was a bridge the went over a colony of spiderants. The gunner saw that it was a walkable distance away from where she currently was. Deciding not to take her vehicle, Moze made her way to the area below the bridge. If she had to guess, FL4K was probably testing the strength of the new creatures in the area. They tended to do that whenever they discovered a new area, especially on Eden-6. However, before Moze was able to reach the bridge, the familiar robotic voice of FL4K began coming from her echo device.

“Moze stop where you are,” said the beastmaster in a hushed tone. Surprised at the sudden noise, Moze took out her echo and began looking in all directions for the source. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to spot FL4K anywhere. 

“FL4K where are you? Are you using your cloaking ability?” Moze asked while continuing to observe her surroundings. Even to this day, the gunner still couldn’t wrap her head around FL4K’s fade away ability. The only one who had the best idea of how it worked was Zane, but an explanation from him would only make Moze’s head hurt. 

“No, I’m not. I am hiding in the shadows nearby, but that is not important right now. There is a pack of skags that has been stalking you for a while. If you don’t mind, I would appreciate some help in exterminating them.” After hearing the beastmaster’s words, Moze spun around and searched for any sign that she had been followed. The only thing that gave her a hint that she was being stalked was a set of faint tracks that were pointed at her direction. 

“Thanks for the heads up. The last thing I want is to be some skag’s chew toy. Want me to charge in and draw their attention?” Moze asked as she spoke into her echo device, making sure to keep her voice low. 

“No, that would alert them that their ambush has failed and make them call for backup. If we want to make this quick and simple, I suggest you stay there and pretend you haven’t noticed the skags. That will bring them out of hiding and allow me to ambush them instead.” While Moze didn’t like the idea of being bait, she did trust FL4K’s intuition. Whenever she had the chance to go on a mission with the beastmaster, Moze saw how quickly and efficiently they took out their targets. 

“Alright, gotcha. I’ll give you ten seconds to get into position. Once those ten seconds are up I’ll deploy Iron Bear and begin blasting away,” Moze said as she put her echo device back on her hip, though not before waiting for the confirmation from FL4K. The gunner turned her back towards the skags stalking her and began counting ten seconds in her head. 

_1 … 2 … 3 … 4 … 5 … 6 … 7 … 8 … 9 … 10!_ As soon as the last second passed, Moze deployed her mech and spun around with blinding speed. She saw a pack of six adult skags behind her being led by a badass shock skag. Moze was unable to read the expressions of creatures, but she could see that the skags in front of her were shocked. Now that their ambush had failed, the badass began building up power to transform those around it into other shock skags. However, before Moze had a chance to fire her mech’s miniguns, three bullet holes appeared on the skag’s head in rapid succession. The badass was knocked back from the impact of the shots and its lifeless body hit the ground with a loud thud. 

Not a moment too soon, Moze saw FL4K’s cloak wear off from the corner of her field of view. The Jakobs sniper rifle they wielded had a bit of smoke emanating from its barrel, an indication of the shots that had been fired. Making sure to not waste any time, the beastmaster ran towards the remaining skags and began firing at them along with Iron Bear’s miniguns. It wasn’t long before a single skag remained out of the pack of 7 that was once alive. Knowing that it wouldn’t win against the two dangerous foes, the remaining skag sprinted in the direction it came from. Before it made it too far, it was attacked by an even bigger skag wearing a scarf that seemed to come out of nowhere. Recognizing the scarf, Moze realized that it was FL4K’s own skag, Mr. Chew. The gunner ejected from Iron Bear and approached the beastmaster who was inspecting the bodies of the skags they just killed. Mr. Chew, who had finished off the other skag, trotted over to FL4K with a look on its face that suggested it wanted a treat for its hard work. 

“Before I forget, here. Someone on Sanctuary told me to deliver it to you,” Moze said as she handed over the purple rarity Hyperion shotgun. FL4K stopped their inspection and reached out to grab the weapon from the gunner’s hands.

“Ah, I was wondering when I was going to receive this. This will be useful in my hunt.” The beastmaster stored the weapon in their backpack and crouched in front of a nearby skag corpse. Not having anything else to do, Moze decided to chat a bit more.

“Sooooo, what are you doing in Devil’s Razor? And where are the rest of your pets?” Moze asked as FL4K continued to look over the carcasses with keen attention. It struck her as an odd thing to do since, at first glance, the creatures didn’t have anything interesting or different compared to other skags. 

“Meat-Thief and Broodless are in my room resting up for the day. Despite my commands, Mr. Chew refused to stay put and was insistent on accompanying me. He’s a stubborn skag but I know that he is only worried for his master.” At the mention of his name, the skag began to happily wag its tail, as if saying it was proud of its actions. Even through the robotic filter that coated FL4K’s words, Moze was able to hear a tone of affection in their voice. 

“Also, there’s something about the creatures in this area that had caught my attention. Have you noticed that they are a lot stronger than the ones we first saw on Pandora?” FL4K asked as they stood up from their crouched position. Moze pondered over the AI’s words for a minute as she observed the beastmaster tossing Mr. Chew a chunk of meat. Thinking back to the spiderants she had previously killed, Moze realized that they didn’t die as quickly as the skags that first attacked her on Pandora. 

“Now that you mention it, I did notice that they soak up more bullets before eventually falling dead on the ground.” After fighting through the enemies on the other planets, Moze expected the creatures of Pandoras to be as challenging as a skag pup. However, the gunner was proved wrong when the skags and spiderants put up more of a fight than she expected. It was a small detail that slipped her mind when she was wrapped up in the heat of battle. 

“I have a couple of theories that could explain the unexpected strength of these creatures. First, they might have gone through a series of rapid mutations to adapt to the increasing threat and power of the COV. Pandora is a mysterious planet so it would come as no surprise if its inhabits also had mysterious abilities. My second theory, which is less interesting, is that the ones we first fought on Pandora were simply weaker and it was through extraordinary luck that we didn’t encounter much stronger ones.” As FL4K was explaining all this, they holstered their rifle and gave Mr. Chew some pats on the head. Moze mulled over the ideas being presented to her, but since she wasn’t experienced in the topic, she didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. Patricia Tannis was more fit to discuss and go over FL4K’s theories rather than Moze. 

“Well, all that matters to me is that fighting these creatures isn’t boring. I’m not someone who questions the way the universe works,” the gunner said with a wave of her hand. The beastmaster stared at her for a second before it looked at the setting sun that was already halfway past the horizon.

“Interesting point of view. I got the same response from Amara when I asked her the same thing. You two are quite similar you know.” Moze, not expecting the sudden comment, was at a loss of words for a few seconds. Eventually, she managed to string together a sentence in her slightly flustered state. 

“R-really? Well, I’ll take that as a compliment I guess,” Moze responded as she failed to stop the warmth from rushing to her cheeks. She was grateful that FL4K didn’t comment on the way she was acting. Instead, they continued to gaze at the sunset.

“It’s getting dark. I suggest you go back to Sanctuary and rest up like Zane and Amara are currently doing.” Not a second later, the beastmaster, with their pet in tow, began walking towards the spiderant nest that was beyond the bride near them. 

“Wait, what about you? Don’t AI’s have to recharge or something?” Since FL4K wasn’t human, they didn’t sleep like the rest of the people aboard Sanctuary. There were times Moze walked past the beastmaster’s room and saw the robot stand completely motionless with a cord connecting them to a wall outlet. Even a hunting AI needed some rest. 

“I have already regained full power before coming here so it is not needed. Also, I gave Mr. Chew some special kibble that will give him a boost in energy for the next few hours,” FL4K responded as he looked back at Moze. Despite their reassurance, there was still something that made the gunner curious. 

“What are your plans exactly? I know you take hunting very seriously but you have never done it for an entire 24 hours,” Moze asked with her arms crossed. Even an AI had its limits. 

“Sir Alister Hammerlock informed me about a legendary spiderant that he calls an Antalope. Its rarity stems from the pair of antlers on its head that no other spiderant has. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in such a specimen.” Moze already had a hunch that their actions revolved around some type of hunt so hearing the beastmaster’s reason was no surprise. After hearing FL4K’s explanation, she decided what she needed to do. 

“So this Antalope is high on your hunting list huh? Well, I hope you’ll let me go with you. I need to repay you for warning me about those skags.” The glowing dot that acted as FL4K’s eye squinted in contemplation before it turned back around. 

“As you wish. A bit of a precaution though. Visibility is greatly reduced at night so I would be extra vigilant if I were you,” the beastmaster said as they continued walking forward. Moze nodded in agreement and trailed behind them as a small yawn escaped her mouth. The final rays of the sun cast the surrounding area in one final coat of orange before the familiar look of dusk set in. 

* * *

It wasn’t every day that Moze was able to lay under the stars and simply enjoy the night sky. If she ignored the many wild animals that attacked her on occasion, then it practically felt like a pleasant campout. The low amount of light pollution of Pandora meant the stars were able to show off their glow in full. It also meant that Elpis was able to shine in all its glory. The giant floating rock was practically another planet with its complexity and the many people that lived there. According to Lilith, Elpis had its own set of dangers and unique creatures that made it an exciting place to explore. Apparently, it also had a unique dialect that differed from Pandora. 

_When all of this is over, I might go and see what it’s like up there. That would be nice._ Moze thought as she looked up at Pandora’s famous moon. The gunner turned her head and looked at her fellow vault hunter that was sitting on a flat rock at the opposite end of their campfire. Fortunately for her, FL4K had all the necessary equipment and resources to set up a fireplace and properly contain it with rocks. Given the lack of trees in the area, the beastmaster used wood and kindling that they had gathered back on Eden-6. With a quick shot of an incendiary pistol, the pieces of kindling caught on fire and the logs soon after. It wasn’t long before the small flame transformed into a nice roaring fire. Not only did it provide light but it also emanated a warmness that warded off the chilly night air. 

“Was this legendary hunt the only reason you are out here or was Claptrap finally getting on your nerves,” Moze asked as she readjusted her position on her makeshift bedroll. She rested one of her legs on her knee and had her arms crossed under her head to act as a sort of pillow. Since she didn’t arrive at Devil’s Razor with the intent of sleeping, the gunner was without the sleeping bag that she used when she first arrived on Pandora. To make up for it, Moze removed some of the padding inside Iron Bear that was being used for the seat. It wasn’t as comfortable as her bed in Sanctuary but it would have to do for now. There was the option of making a quick trip to the ship to retrieve her sleeping bag but Moze felt it defeated the purpose of camping out in the first place. 

“As much as I enjoy staying in Sanctuary, I must admit that it can get too … quiet. The hunt is always calling for me after all. Also, I don’t mind Claptrap and his antics,” FL4K admitted as she stroked the head of Mr. Chew. The scarf-wearing skag was curled up beside the beastmaster with its head on their lap. Even though it had its eyes closed, it was still keenly aware of its surroundings. Whenever it detected a nearby presence, it would stand up and let out a loud howl. As a bonus, Moze also had Iron Bear in sentry mode which allowed it to quickly eliminate the creatures that Mr. Chew spotted. It was a surprisingly effective system. 

“I kinda agree, to an extent, but sometimes his voice gives me a headache. Anyway, another question. Out of all the planets, which one do you think had the deadliest animals?” Since FL4K had the most experience in hunting, it would make sense that their opinion would carry a lot of credibility. Moze was also curious about the way FL4K thought and their overall view on life. 

“The creatures on Eden-6 were ferocious, no doubt, but I find the ones on Pandora to be more challenging. They are more savage, deadly, and will do anything to kill their prey,” the beastmaster said as it stared into the fire. Moze couldn’t help but agree with their statement given the many injuries that covered both her and her mech thanks to skags and spiderants. The jabbers and saurians of Eden-6 might as well be considered docile when compared to the creatures on Pandora. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to delve deeper into this topic,” FL4K asked as they cast a side glance at Moze. The gunner, interested in what they had to say, simply nodded in response. These rare moments where FL4K got passionate about their interests were moments that Moze found quite amusing. 

“I’ve heard from Sir Hammerlock of a ferocious creature called a bullymong. He was quite detailed in his explanation of how frightful they can be. But I’ve yet to come across one on our journey.” The beastmaster then went on about their anatomy and other points of interest. Its four gigantic arms were capable of breaking bone with ease and their jaws could bust a skull apart. Even though they had legs, their main mode of transportation revolved around their frontal pair of arms. However, they only seemed to reside in cold frigid places in specific places on Pandora. FL4K also mentioned the slight possibility that the bullymong race might no longer be alive. 

“Well, who knows? There might be one out there somewhere, though from what you’ve said I’m not too keen on fighting one.” While it was true that Moze was always looking forward to an exciting battle, having to deal with a pack of bullying was not something she wished for. However, the same could not be said about the beastmaster and their pets. Moze had already witnessed countless instances where they fought anything they deemed worthy of a challenge and with the confidence to match. The first time the group of vault hunters encountered a tyrant, the gunner saw clear excitement emanating off of the beastmaster. The hulking saurian was a tough enemy even when up against four deadly vault hunters. When it finally was defeated, FL4K let out a small speech about how they felt “worthy” for having the opportunity of hunting down such a mighty beast. The rest of them agreed with their statement to some degree. 

“Speaking of which, Sir Hammerlock told me of another interesting creature. It's called a stalker and they sound like real assholes from what I’ve heard,” Moze said with a bit of disdain in her voice. From the corner of her eye, she saw FL4K turn towards her with apparent eagerness. 

“That is what they are called? Fascinating, tell me more.” The gunner could already tell that she got the attention of the beastmaster. 

“Ok so apparently they have this crazy ability which allows them to turn invisible. I think it has something to do with their skin and how it acts as a shield. It can protect them, brake, and even recharge just like the ones we use. Just the idea of trying to shoot something you can’t see makes my head hurt. I guess this is how the COV feel when having to fight you huh?” Moze looked over at the beastmaster, expecting them to laugh at her joke but instead all she saw was them staring into the fire again. Moze wasn’t an expert in reading the facial expressions of robots, but she could easily tell that FL4K was deep in thought. After a moment of total silence, the beastmaster spoke. 

“They can disappear … just like me. I thank you for bringing this to my attention. With a name such as that, it would make sense that they would be quite a challenging hunt. I look forward to the day I encounter one of these creatures and when I do-,” the beastmaster stopped their sentence midway as they pulled out the Jakobs sniper that was used during the skag fight. FL4K put the scope up to their eye and the single light on their face squinted with a determined and intimidating look to it. 

“-I’ll show them what a _real_ stalker looks like.” Moze couldn’t help but feel a small wave of fear wash over her for a split second. It was times like this were the gunner could understand why so many people were fearful of the beastmaster. 

“Whoa there bud, leave some for the rest of us,” Moze said in an attempt to ease her nerves. On the surface, FL4K appeared to be an emotionless AI with a never-ending thirst for death. However, Moze knew that wasn’t the case. After traveling with them through Athenas, Promethea, and Eden-6, the gunner could say, without hesitation, that FL4K was a more “human” than machine. They were capable of a wide range of emotions and even had passions and hobbies. They showed great love and care for their pets and worried whenever any one of them was hurt. Moze could still remember the time a psycho managed to land a heavy hit on Mr. Chew and was shortly reduced to a bloody paste by an angry FL4K. It was truly a sight to behold.

“Of course. Actually, this reminds me of the time I first met Mr. Chew. Want to hear it?” the beastmaster asked. Moze, glad that the tense atmosphere was no longer present, agreed to the idea. 

“Sure. Anything is better than listening to the neverending howls of skags. No offense Mr. Chew,” Moze said as she cast a side glance towards the scarf-wearing skag. The short howl that came from the skag soon after told her that the statement wasn’t upsetting or anything. 

“This story takes place long ago before I had any of my pets with me. I was on Pandora, hunting everything and anything that I found even remotely challenging. All manner of skags, rakks, varkids, and even bandits fell before me. Eventually, I came across a bandit camp that caught my eye. I climbed up onto a vantage point and observed it from afar. What I saw, though, made my blood boil, metaphorically speaking. 

Those _vile_ bandits had stolen a litter of skag pups and forced them to fight each other for their own twisted amusement. They may have been violent creatures, but no animal deserves to be treated that way. The skag pups were being cruelly kept in small cages that were too cramped. Since they were still young, the skags had no way of escaping or fighting back so they laid down in defeat. However, there was one skag that never stopped biting its cage or howling to be let out. 

Naturally, I did the one thing I did best. I went down there and mercilessly slaughtered those bandits. All of them. I went up to the cages and saw how badly they were treating the pups. They were hungry and covered in injuries. So I freed the skags from their imprisonment and watched as they ran away towards safety. I was about to leave but I noticed that one skag stayed behind. It was the one who never stopped trying to escape. I made my way to the exit and saw that it was following me. 

Back then, I could have easily left it behind and continued my journey but there was something about it that left an impression on me. I figured having a companion go along with me would be beneficial to my hunt. I remember taking out a piece of cloth from my backpack and tiring it around its neck which seemed to make it very happy. I later realized how much of an appetite it had which earned him the name Mr. Chew. We’ve been together ever since.” As FL4K’s story came to an end, a long silence fell over the group. The only sounds that could be heard were the howl of distant skags and the crackling of the fire. It wasn’t an awkward silence and instead felt like a comfortable silence. Moze stared up at the stars as she mulled over the beastmaster’s story. It was a touching story that showed how much FL4K has gone through both alone and with their pets. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Moze decided to speak up. 

“Wow. You two have been through a lot huh. Kind of like me and Iron Bear. We both have companions that we care for a lot.” The gunner looked over to where FL4K was sitting and saw them petting Mr. Chew. It seemed that the skag recognized the story was about him and, as a result, held its head up proudly. As she saw this, a small laugh escaped Moze’s mouth.

“I agree,” said the beastmaster. It wasn’t long before another comfortable silence descended on the group. The rest of the night went by uneventfully except for a few encounters with rakk. The legendary creature that FL4K was after didn’t show up throughout the night but the beastmaster did mention they were going to try again tomorrow. Eventually, Moze felt herself begin to drift off. Thanks to the surveillance of Mr. Chew and Iron Bear, she was able to fall asleep soundly on her makeshift bedroll. Her final thoughts as she drifted into the land of sleep were about her journey so far and the question of how much longer it would last. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter with 4700 words. The other ones had around 4200 words. Also, I haven't played as FL4K that much so I don't know if there is any canonical story of how they got their pets so I added my own headcanon.


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